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KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 8
Shyam had always been afraid of heights since he was a small boy. He couldn't recall since when he had developed this fear. He believed that he would never get over it. He never did tell anybody of his phobia because he was afraid that others would make fun of him.
He had always avoided tall buildings, and even the thought of standing atopa cliff or a tall building made his heart race.
He knew that this fear was unwarranted, and rationally, there was no need to have such a fear, but he just couldn't get over it no matter how hard he tried.
One day, he received an invitation to go on a hiking trip with his friends. The plan was to scale a mountain and camp at the summit. He was torn. He had never told his friends of his fear, and he wanted to keep it that way. He wanted to join his friends but the thought of facing his phobia was overwhelming.
He thought, "Maybe I could come up with an excuse not to go on this trip. Yes, I could just tell them that I have something to do that day." He came up with several excuses to not go on this trip, but in the back of his mind, he knew that he couldn't keep running away from his fear forever.
In the end, he decided to go for it. He packed his bags and set off on the journey, determined to push through the fear.
As he hiked up the mountain, his nerves started to get the best of them. He tried to focus on the beautiful scenery and his friends, but every time he looked down at the ground far below, he felt dizzy. He felt like he was going to puke and faint.
He wanted to give up and run away. He was starting to regret why he even joined his friends for the hike in the first place.
Just when he thought he couldn't go on any further, just as he was about to call it quits, his friends called out to him, "We are almost on the summit.
It's just a few more steps. Let's pull through."
Finally, they had reached the summit. The view was breathtaking, and he forgot about his fear. He enjoyed the view that lay before him. In the evening, they set up camp and spent the night watching the stars, feeling proud about what they had accomplished.
He was especially elated at himself for being able to face his fear head on.
The next morning, he woke up to a beautiful sunrise. He came out of his tent and was filled with exhilaration. He had finally conquered his fear.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 9, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
